The present invention relates in general to the field of real-time instruction and maintenance support, and more particularly, to the use of a portable system, apparatus and method for the remote repair or maintenance of complex mechanical systems that is hands-free and which is customizable on-site for a particular piece of equipment, process, operation or system.
Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with a portable computer for use during repair, support and maintenance support operations, as an example.
In order to remain competitive, many industries, such as the aircraft industry, have increasingly automated their assembly processes through the use of computer-controlled equipment. The increase in complexity of the mechanical and computer systems in the airline, automobile, and other industries that rely heavily on automation, have led to the need for an increasingly sophisticated labor force. Unfortunately, the labor markets are failing to meet the demand for highly competent repair and maintenance employees at reduced costs. As equipment becomes more complex, the diagnosis of faults and maintenance of the equipment have, likewise, become more complex.
During the repair and maintenance process, operators are often responsible for diagnosing and resolving problems. Since the processing that occurs with a fully functional piece of equipment is stopped during the repair and maintenance time, it is important that the operator diagnose and resolve the fault expeditiously. The problem is further enhanced by the need for specialized labor that often must be brought from a remote site or another city to perform the repair procedure.
In the case of preventative maintenance, a similar problem to that of repair work is the need to file reports detailing the procedures and repairs accomplished. Part of the task of reporting repair and maintenance work is the need to specify the parts replaced, as well as, reordering of new parts to maintain in inventory. Typically, preventative maintenance is scheduled based upon manufacturer estimates for the lifetime of various components. In order to accurately and completely follow and maintain these schedules, the operator must not only be well-versed in both equipment part location and maintenance procedures, but in correctly filing-out and filing the reports in a timely manner.
Furthermore, the reporting process must allow the user and others to retrieve, view, enhance, and interpret the information. One such procedure is to dictate or xe2x80x9cannotatexe2x80x9d the diagnosis to produce a final report that may be accessed by other maintenance personnel. More modem systems, such as those in medical record keeping, involve the use of multiple media data with static graphic drawings on the report. These prior art techniques, however, use visual annotations to annotate process and procedures along with the annotator""s voice, and to playback the recorded result. Then, the annotations must be transcribed manually in order to produce a complete report.
A system for repair is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,451, issued to Williams entitled, xe2x80x9cPreventative Maintenance and Diagnostic Systemxe2x80x9d. Williams discloses a maintenance system for a machine controlled by a programmable logic controller having a memory that stores input data received from the machine and output data communicated to the machine. The maintenance system includes a computer interfaced to the memory to be non-intrusive with respect to the programmable logic controller; the computer being operative to monitor a state of the machine over a plurality of manufacturing cycles, including input and output data. The computer is able to detect a fault condition for a component of the machine based upon a state of a current manufacturing cycle and a state of a previous manufacturing cycle. A display device is in communication with the computer to alert an operator of the fault condition and to graphically display a location of the component within the machine to facilitate a corrective measure by the operator. One problem with the prior art, however, is that the operator is always tethered to the computer and must provide commands through a keyboard or like device. Furthermore, the maintenance instructions are native to the machine that is in need of repair or maintenance, requiring that it be in the xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d position during maintenance. Yet another problem with the invention as described is that the machine in need of repair must have been pre-programmed to respond to the maintenance requirements of the hard wire tether and be able to communicate with the computer to which the machine is tethered.
For existing systems in the repair and maintenance industry, or within industries in need of highly specialized on-site repair and maintenance personnel, there is presently no system, apparatus or method of providing multimedia data acquisition, interpretation, instruction and reporting.
The present invention provides a light, portable hands-off or hands-free maintenance and repair system, using a task-specific hypertexted, animated, voice-synthesized, and/or voice-activated communications and search engine that is able to access a task-specific database. The instructional program or engine is made task-specific by accessing a database of machine, process or operational specific data, which may be computer data, audio and even video clips that provide the user with real-time instructional information about the task or tasks that the user is to perform at a remote location.
The computer device is sufficiently lightweight to use at the remote location and provides hands-free command of the engine and access to the task-specific database so that the user may perform maintenance and repair on the machine, process or operation with the use of both hands. The task-specific information may include technical views and design diagrams of the machine, process flow or operation. The task-specific data will also provide instruction for accessing the machine, process or operation and be displayed to the viewer through a display device that may be, e.g., a head set with partial view of the operation and of the computer display or may even be a hand-held display that the user positions within the user""s view.
The present invention includes an information retrieval and input system for displaying task-specific data, with a computer having an input/output device, access to a large capacity information storage and a retrieval device interfaced with the input/output device adapted to receive a memory medium containing the predetermined digitized data. The storage and retrieval device is adapted to access the task-specific data on the memory medium and to provide the data to the input/output device, the predetermined digitized data may be organized in, e.g., a hypertext format.
Hypertext may be accessed directly through a hypertext engine or via software written to access hypertext-based data, as well as data in other formats, e.g., in Microsoft Access or D-Base format. Audio and video input and output devices may be included in a headset adapted to be worn by the user. The head mounted image display is supported by the headset having a virtual image display having one or more eye-pieces adapted to be positioned within the view of the user while performing a specific task thereby providing video display information from the computer to the user in a hands-free, lightweight manner.
The task-specific storage and retrieval instructional program of the present invention provides read/write capability for task-specific data, as well as, hands-free voice recognition for providing access to data that is task-specific on a storage medium or via download. The system provided herein may be part of a network. One such system for use with the portable computer of the present invention is a network card, which provides a wireless computer interface with other users or even a customer support center (CSC) connected through a wireless antenna, through a hard-wired computer network, or a combination thereof.
In operation, the user looks through an eyepiece (or at another type of display) to view a virtual image that appears in front of the eyepiece, creating the illusion of a high-resolution computer screen for view by the user. The user sees an image that a number of menus and buttons that the user accesses by voice-command without the need for a movement controlled device such as a mouse or keyboard, but such a device may be used if voice activation is not necessary or desired.
The display and input devices are connected to a very lightweight computer that accesses data from a large capacity storage device, such as internal hard drive and/or a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive and stores user responses on, for example, a xe2x80x9cjournalxe2x80x9d file on the hard drive. These devices may hold the task-specific database(s) that allow the user to make the instructional program task-specific simply by exchanging disks at the remote location. The CD-ROM or DVD may be left at the remote site, thereby allowing any SIMON user to reach the remote location and access the storage medium to access task-specific maintenance and repair information. The data may be transmitted to the user at the remote location via a hard-wire or by wireless transmission. Other mechanisms for downloading information are also within the scope of the invention, including network access, remote access (via telephone lines or otherwise) or satellite-based communication systems.
More particularly, the present invention is directed to a portable instructional system that includes a computer sufficiently lightweight and designed so that it may be worn by a user to which a memory has been connected. The memory is connected to and under the control of the computer together with a data storage device such as a hard drive. The system also includes a display device that can receive display signals from the computer for visual display to the user and an input device by which the user enters commands to the computer. An instructional program is provided that the computer accesses and stores in memory in response to a user command and displays information concerning a task to be performed by the user on the display device in response to commands from the user.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the portable instructional system that may be worn by a user may also be described as having a computer of a size sufficiently small to be carried by a user to which a memory is connected to and under control of the computer. A display device that can receive display signals from the computer for visual display to the user and an input device by which the user enters commands to the computer is also provided. The instructional program that the computer accesses and stores in memory contains instructional information concerning a task to be performed by the user. The system may also include a video camera of a size sufficiently small to be worn or hand-held by a user connected to the system that transmits images from the camera to a remote site and that is accessed by a communications system, whereby the user can communicate with an assistant viewing the images at the remote site concerning the task being performed.
The instruction system may include a first computer of a size sufficiently small to be worn by a user which is connected to a memory connected to and under control of the first computer. A display device is provided that can receive display signals from the first computer for visual display to the user as is an input device by which the user enters commands to the first computer. The instructional program is accessed by the first computer, which the computer stores in memory. The program contains instructional information concerning a task to be performed by the user at a location. The system also may include a second computer at a remote site from the user""s location for use by an assistant or supervisor working with the user, which is connected to a communications program by which the second computer receives and displays data from the first computer, which data is of a type that aids in the performance of the task. The first and second computers communicate through a wireless data transmitting and receiving device connected to the first computer, which device can transmit data to the station and receive data from the station. A wireless data transmitting and receiving station having a range, which station can transmit data to and receive data from the first computer anywhere with the range is also provided. Finally, a communications link is provided by which the second computer can send data to and receive data from the wireless station while the user is working on the task within range of the wireless station, permitting audio and/or video teleconferencing between the user and the assistant or supervisor.
A computer communication system for use with the present invention includes a computer of a size sufficiently small to be worn or hand-held by a user. A display device that can receive display signals from the computer for visual display to the user is connected to the computer as is an input device by which the user enters commands to the first computer. Wireless data is transmitted and received through a device connected to the computer, which device can transmit data to the station and receive data from the station. The wireless data transmitting and receiving station has a range, which station can transmit data to and receive data from the first computer anywhere within the range. Also, a computer network that can send data to and receive data from the wireless station while the user is working on the task within range of the wireless station is provided.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is an instruction system includes an instructional program that controls a computer and is stored in memory, which program contains instructional information concerning a task to be performed by a user at a location. An input/output program is also provided that controls the interaction between the computer and a display device and at least one audio input and output device. A report generating program under the control of the instructional program aids the user in generating and transmitting an electronic report relating to the task performed by the user at a location. Finally, an instructional database under the control of the instructional program, which database comprises information specific to the task to be performed by a user at a location is provided along with a communications program by which the computer communicates data from the computer to a computer network that can receive and transmit data, which data is of a type that aids in reporting performance of the task.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a a computer communication system that includes a first computer of a size sufficiently small to be worn by a user that is connected to and control a memory and a display and audio device that can receive display signals from the first computer for visual display to the user and through which the user may enters commands to the first computer. The first computer is connected to a wireless data transmitting and receiving device, which device can transmit digital data to a wireless data receiving and transmitting station, which station is capable of and receiving and transmitting data from the station. A second computer of a size sufficiently small to be worn by a user is also able to transmit and receive wireless data and allows the users of the first and second computers to communicate in real-time. The second computer is also connected to and controls a memory, and a input and display device.
The present invention also includes a method of providing a user with an instruction system including the steps of providing a user a computer sufficiently lightweight and designed to be worn by the user, connecting a memory to, and under the control of, the computer, displaying on a display device display signals from the computer within the visual range of the user, providing an input device by which the user enters commands into the computer and accessing an instructional program that the computer stores in memory in response to a user command and displays information concerning a task to be performed by the user on the display device in response to commands from the user.